What Should Be Created In Order To Control Faders, Solos And Mutes For Multiple Tracks?

Introduction

As a session begins to build, y'all need equally many ways to control you mix as quickly every bit possible, track grouping is certainly i such method.

Track group allows you to adapt a setting or control of a pre-defined prepare of tracks using just one control, whether it exist a fader adjustment or fifty-fifty muting, the role allows you to work with groups of instruments as one as opposed to wasting fourth dimension making individual adjustments.

Rails grouping volition allow y'all to chop-chop solo a group of tracks such as a full pulsate kit, or pull downwardly the levels of a group of tracks, these are two common uses only it has an enormous potential which is merely restricted by your creative ideas.

This tutorial will show y'all how to create, modify, and enable/disable rail groups also as hopefully giving you enough groundwork to go into your sessions and start using them creatively to benefit your product process.

Groups Listing

You lot may accept already noticed that in the bottom left hand corner of the screen lies the Groups Listing as shown beneath.

Notice that by default, a group is created called ALL, as i'grand sure you can work out this group will consist of every track within the session and should not exist overlooked!

The screen shot above shows 3 groups, the left-hand cavalcade of each group shows the group symbols. A small-scale dot indicates that all members of the grouping are selected, an empty circle indicates that some members of the grouping are selected whilst a dot within a circle indicates that all group members plus other tracks are selected.

The side by side cavalcade displays a unique colour for that group to help tell them autonomously.

The tertiary column will display a single letter value which can exist used to turn that grouping on and off, nosotros volition talk a little more than nearly this subsequently on in the tutorial.

The fourth and final cavalcade displays the grouping name, this tin be fix when you create the group and modified after if needs be.

To assistance make a little more sense of what these columns mean, permit'south at present look at creating a group and setting up its values.

Creating Groups

Groups tin can be created in one of two ways, firstly from the groups list nosotros mentioned in the last section. In the height right hand corner of the list you volition come across a small downward arrow, when clicked you will be presented with a number of options which includes 'New Group'.

The other fashion of bringing upwards the 'Create Group' dialog window is past using the shortcut CMD_G (mac) CTRL_G (windows).

Afterward using either of the two methods, you will be presented with the dialog window where you can prepare each of the parameters.

Setting Upward The Group

Allow'southward start by looking at the ii tracks lists half way downward the screen, the left hand list shows all available tracks within your session, and the correct paw listing shows the tracks that are going to be added to the grouping you are creating. Past highlighting tracks and using the 'Add together/Remove' buttons underneath, you can move tracks between columns. At present lets expect at the options at the top of the window.

The kickoff option you are given is the grouping name, rather than leaving this as it is, it is very much worth giving your group a short only distinctive name to help notice your groups apace while mixing. To the right of this option yous volition likewise be able to assign a letter 'ID' to your grouping, I prefer to choose a letter which is related to the group title, for instance I will employ 'D' for drums and 'B' for bass, it is up to you whichever letter helps yous to distinguish them autonomously, we volition talk most where this letter comes into piece of work afterwards on.

The adjacent selection y'all have for the group is 'Blazon', you will be presented with three options which include Edit, Mix, and Edit and Mix.

Edit: Creating a rail grouping of this blazon volition link rails parameters which are more commonly associated within the Edit window including, Region editing, Automation, besides as the tracks pinnacle, view and timebase.

Mix: Creating a track group of this type volition link rail parameters which are more commonly associated within the Mix window including, Fader and Send levels too equally Mute and Solos.

Mix and Edit: This will of course exist a combination of both and is more often than not the well-nigh popular choice every bit there are probably merely few occasions when you would not want to alter everything together.

It does not matter however if you choose a group blazon which is missing a particular link you lot require as y'all will see that the final option when creating a grouping is whether you wish to link the Solo, Mute, Send Mute, and Send Levels of the tracks inside the groups. It is important to remember that these checkboxes ultimately decide whether those features are linked or not, for example if you lot chose Edit and Mix type grouping only then left the Mute box unchecked, so the other group tracks would not follow if one was muted.

Enabling/Disabling Groups

Now that y'all have created your groups, y'all will need to know how to turn them on and off. The showtime way is by clicking the small dot to the left of the grouping name on the groups list equally described earlier.

The other way which I personally find much quicker is by using Commands Focus, if y'all are unsure well-nigh this area, and so you should first read our article well-nigh information technology HERE. This is where the ID associated with the track comes into play, while in Groups Commands Focus you can enable and disable track groups simply past pressing the ID key to which they are associated.

Group List Options

You volition take probably noticed while working inside the grouping list menu that in that location were three other options available, Change, Duplicate and Delete.

Alter Grouping: This will bring up the group window again, giving you the opportunity to make any changes such as adding additional tracks to an existing group for example.

Duplicate Group: This will make an exact copy of an existing grouping, I find this specially useful when I have two groups of instruments which I wish to accept the aforementioned grouping settings.

Delete Group: This really needs no explanation, the groups selected will exist deleted.

Final Words

We hope you have enjoyed this tutorial, just more importantly we hope that you volition exist able to start using groups within your sessions to enhance your workflow.